Solana Amell and the Scrolls of Merlin
by OctopusPatronus
Summary: Solana Amell just wants to have a normal second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, thank you very much. But when she learns about the mysterious scrolls of Merlin, the temptation is just too great. With the help of her friend Alistair and the new DADA professor, Solana searches for the ancient artifacts—but danger will certainly find them first. 2nd in a series.
1. Previously, on Solana Amell

Hello! Welcome to the second book in the _Solana Amell_ series, a half-parody half-serious story that takes the story of Dragon Age: Origins and reimagines it in the Harry Potter universe. If you haven't read the first one, I recommend you do so before reading this one.

This is the book where things start getting really good, in my opinion. Mostly because Alistair, Morrigan, and Duncan are a major part of the story and there's a lot more focus on humor and funny dialogue. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Without any further ado, here is _**Solana Amell and the Scrolls of** **Merlin**_

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Previously, on **_**Solana Amell…**_

It was raining again, thick rivulets of water running down the barred window and casting curious serpentine patterns on the bedroom walls. The room's sole occupant, a twelve-year-old girl by the name of Solana Amell, scratched an old-fashioned raven's feather quill across parchment. Solana had written and re-written her summer homework assignments several times, and her last essay was nearly perfect. She was not usually such an obsessive student; really, she just didn't have anything better to do.

Solana preferred not to go outside when the weather was so dismal, and she wasn't the type to simply sit and watch television without doing something else at the same time. When her grandfather wanted her out of the way as much as possible, sometimes it was easier just to work in her room.

This was something she was used to, unfortunately. One way or another, her grandfather had always known that there was something wrong with her. He'd thought she was mad—but in fact, it turned out that she was a witch.

Not that he considered her magical ability all that different from insanity. It would damage his reputation if anyone found out about her _strangeness_, so he did his best to keep her locked away, as he had for most of her childhood.

A quiet knock at the door drew her attention away from her work. To Solana's surprise, it was one of the servants. They all generally avoided her unless they had no choice in the matter.

"Mistress, there is a visitor at the front door," said the austere butler.

"You mean… someone is here to see _me?"_ asked Solana. "Is Grandfather here?"

"No, Mistress, Lord Amell is out for the day," said the butler. Surely he had never shown her this much respect before. Curious, Solana got up and followed him downstairs. True to his word, there was a visitor standing at the door; a striking Middle-Eastern man with dark skin, jet-black hair worn in a pony-tail, a gold earring, and a magnificent beard. He was watching the street outside through a beveled glass window set into the door, but turned towards Solana and the butler as they descended the stairs.

"Greetings, Ms. Amell," he said, his voice genteel yet rich with experience. "My name is Duncan. I am here on behalf of your school."

Solana nodded her understanding. She turned to the butler. "You're excused."

The butler actually _bowed _to her. "Thank you, Mistress."

"He's never this nice to me," Solana observed once he was gone. She turned to Duncan. "Would I be right to assume that it's your doing?"

"I apologize. The confusion will wear off momentarily," said Duncan. "He was being… difficult. He even tried to claim that Lord Amell didn't have a granddaughter."

"I'm certain my Grandfather wouldn't mind if that were true," said Solana.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Duncan.

"It's alright," said Solana. "So are you here to take me supplies shopping? You're not a professor…"

"I am, actually," said Duncan. "I'm taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."

Solana's eyes widened. "Uldred isn't the Defense teacher anymore?" When Duncan confirmed this, Solana barely repressed a whoop of joy. "Thank goodness, he was awful. He had us pair up every day and hit each other with the worst curses we could come up with. He said that to defend against Dark magic, you have to use Dark magic, too."

"There is more truth to that statement than most people would like to admit," said Duncan. "But to teach such things to school-children is highly inappropriate."

"Good," said Solana. "I'm sure you'll be a much better teacher than Uldred. It's not like you could be any worse."

Duncan seemed amused by this. "Thank you. I think."

"Shall we go, now?" Solana asked. "I'll need to go fetch my wizarding money and my coat. Is it raining in London as well?"

"It is, but before we leave, I'd like to ask you something," said Duncan. "I was told that you were involved in what happened at Hogwarts last year. If you don't mind, I'd be interested in hearing your side of the story."

Solana looked away. "Have they found Jowan yet?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Hm." Solana proceeded to tell the whole sad story. How her best friend Jowan claimed Professor Uldred was trying to steal something from Hogwarts. How they investigated for months before learning what he was after: the Rod of Fire, a wand once wielded by one of the most powerful Dark wizards that ever lived. How they decided to steal the wand themselves, in order to keep it out of Uldred's hands.

How Jowan had lied to her. How he was after the Rod all along.

"So he took the wand and disappeared, and I haven't seen or heard from him since," Solana finished.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because Jowan said that Uldred was going after the Rod of Fire. I believed that Uldred was a Dark wizard, and Jowan was my best friend. Why wouldn't I believe one when he accused the other?"

"Why didn't you tell the professors about your suspicions?"

"Because I knew that they would never believe that Uldred was after the Rod," Solana told him. "Yes, I'm aware of the irony."

Duncan frowned. Solana winced, belatedly realizing that was being terribly rude. Admittedly she was still rather angry and hurt over what happened last year. When she hadn't been perfecting her essays during these past months, she'd been berating herself for her involvement in the Rod of Fire's theft and Jowan's disappearance.

Certain that she had made a terrible first impression on her new professor, Solana went to retrieve her coat and her money.

When she returned, she expected Duncan to make use of a Portkey, as Professor Irving had last year. Instead he walked into the sitting-room and approached the fireplace.

"Professor Irving has taken the liberty of adding your home to the Floo Network," said Duncan.

"The Floo Network, sir?"

"It's a method for travelling and communicating over long distances," Duncan explained. He set the urn he had been carrying on the mantle of the fireplace. He removed the urn's lid, revealing that it was full of a glittery, silvery dust. "Simply take a handful of this powder and throw it in the fire. Then speak your destination, and step into the flames."

"That's incredible!"

"Irving believes that you'll be old enough next year to shop for supplies on your own. This way, you'll have a way to travel to our world and back," said Duncan.

"Can I to travel to Hogwarts this way?"

"The fireplaces at Hogwarts are for the professors and emergency use only," said Duncan. "And your house's connection to the Floo Network will only be active on certain days of the year."

Solana nodded her understanding. Her grandfather would likely have a fit if there was a magical gateway through their fireplace on even one day of the year, let alone all-year-round.

"Let me demonstrate," said Duncan. He scooped up some of the Floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace. At once, the fire turned emerald-green. "Diagon Alley!"

He stepped into the fire and disappeared. The flames returned to normal.

Solana took a handful from the urn before putting its lid back in place. "Diagon Alley!"

She stepped through. With a whooshing sensation, she was pulled at high speed through a dark brick-lined tunnel that looked like long chimney. She could just barely catch glimpses of other fireplaces, but was moving far too quickly to see anything besides flashes of light in the darkness.

At last she emerged in a cloud of soot on the other side. Duncan was waiting for her. He used a cleaning spell to remove the soot from her hair, face, and clothes. "Where are we?" Solana asked. She didn't recognize this building. They appeared to be in an old pub.

"This is the Leaky Cauldron," said Duncan. "It serves as a gateway between Muggle London and Diagon Alley."

They went out the back door of the pub and crossed a small courtyard into Diagon Alley, the largest wizarding shopping district in Britain.

Duncan gave Solana her new supplies list and they proceeded to purchase everything she would need during her next year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Solana mostly enjoyed herself despite the rain (which Duncan repelled with an Impervious Charm). Diagon Alley was always fun and full of life no matter the weather.

However, upon entering Flourish and Blotts, Solana felt a sharp pang when she remembered that this bookshop was the place where she first met Jowan. She forced herself to ignore that memory, and many others.

After all, it would only get worse once she arrived at Hogwarts.


	2. One Good Tourney Deserves Another

**Chapter Two**

**One Good Tourney Deserves Another**

The sun finally started to shine around mid-September, which was good because that was when Quidditch trials began at Hogwarts. Quidditch was the biggest sport in the wizarding world, like football in the Muggle world. Even Solana, despite her Muggle heritage, had fallen in love with the game last year, so she was eager to try out for her house's team. She dressed in her warmest jumper (which was striped in scarlet and gold, the Gryffindor house colours), picked up her new flying broomstick, and crossed the grounds to the Quidditch pitch.

"Ho there, friend." The Gryffindor captain, Cailan Theirin, greeted her with a smile. "You must be here to try out. You're name is… Solana Amell, am I right? Have you ever played Quidditch before?"

"I played a few pick-up games last year," Solana said. She frowned, puzzled. "Why would I try out for a sport I've never played?"

Cailan laughed good-naturedly. "You'd be surprised how many girls we get who haven't."

He flashed a charming smile at a group of girls standing a few feet away, who actually blushed and giggled in response. Solana got the feeling that they were at the tryouts for Cailan, and not to actually play. Some of them weren't even in Gryffindor. He _was_ rather handsome, she supposed: broad shoulders, long blond hair, sky-blue eyes… He was also quite popular due to his famous war-hero father, if you were the kind of girl who went for that sort of thing.

"Which position are you trying out for?" Cailan asked.

"Whatever is available, I suppose," Solana said.

"You have a pretty good Seeker's build," Cailan observed. "It's too bad that position has already been filled."

This was just fine with her. The Seeker was the only part of Quidditch that hadn't impressed Solana very much. It seemed like the role had been added to the game centuries ago so that a king's idiot son could play and still receive all of the glory. Not that she would say this to Cailan's face, of course.

Cailan was the Gryffindor team's Seeker, after all.

Solana's tryout was very successful. She was eventually chosen for one of the three Chaser positions, in fact, but that wasn't what had Gryffindor tower in a buzz. A dueling tournament had been announced. Many people signed up, eager to demonstrate their skills for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It was rumored that Duncan (Solana had been distracted when his surname was mentioned during the start-of-term feast, but everyone just called him "Duncan" anyway) would choose the winners for a special defense club.

When the day came, students from all four houses gathered in the Great Hall. The long house tables had been replaced with four stages surrounded by protective spells. There was a giant chalkboard hovering against one of the walls, which had all of the participants' names written in brackets.

On her way down to the Great Hall, Solana bumped into Morrigan Hemlock, a Slytherin girl in the same year as her. "Are you going to participate in the dueling tournament, Morrigan?"

Morrigan scoffed. "Certainly not. I am no trained monkey, willing to perform upon command."

Solana instantly felt her prospects go up. Though Morrigan was insulting and standoffish and could seem rather full of herself at times, Solana had to admit that she was the most talented witch in their year. "That's too bad. I'm sure you'd do well."

"Indeed. As we are not competing against one another today, perhaps I should wish you luck, though surely you do not need it. You are not nearly as incompetent as the rest of our classmates," said Morrigan. She had a strangely rhythmic, almost poetic way of speaking. "Now, if this self-congratulation society meeting has concluded, you should continue on to the tournament. Your organ grinder awaits."

Though the joke was at her expense, Solana couldn't help but laugh as she entered the Great Hall. Once everyone had arrived, Duncan split them up by year and explained that the scores would be based on power, skill, creativity, and sportsmanship. Then the tournament began.

Solana had already defeated a few people when she was matched with her next opponent, a Hufflepuff boy named Alistair Guerrin. He had light brown eyes and short strawberry-blond hair worn spiked up in the front. Though he was tall and broad-shouldered, he was also gangling and awkward, like a puppy not yet grown into its paws and ears.

They shook hands before going to opposite ends of the stage and assuming the ready position. Solana fired a simple Disarming Charm, but had to dodge it immediately afterward as her spell bounced off of Alistair's shield charm.

"Are you holding back?" Alistair asked. "You don't have to go easy on me."

"Are you sure? I'm stronger than I look…"

"Don't worry," said Alistair. "I'll be fine."

"Alright," Solana said. _"Flipendo!" _

Alistair was knocked back several feet and banged his head against a wall.

"Oh! I'm sorry—I didn't think I'd throw you so far," Solana exclaimed. She ran towards him and knelt beside his limp form.

"Wow… Did you get the name of the elephant that just hit me?" Alistair asked woozily.

"So I'm an elephant, now?"

"Priorities, woman! Because I—oh, ouch, shouting is bad—might actually have a bit of a concussion, here."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, I do see about three of you right now. Ooooh, there's number four!"

Despite his dramatics, Alistair was just fine after a healing spell from Duncan. Alistair insisted that Solana had won the duel fair and square even though Solana offered to forfeit for injuring her opponent. He just laughed and said that next time he would be more careful about what he asked for.

Solana managed to do fairly well even though many of her classmates were wielding curses that they had learned in Uldred's class the previous year. She refused to use those spells, though whether this was out of a genuine sense of decency or just her own stubborn distaste for anything relating to Uldred, Solana honestly couldn't say. At the end of the tournament, she congratulated the second-year winner, a fellow Gryffindor named Aedan Cousland. Then she continued her day, certain that her chance to be one of Duncan's favorites had passed her by.

So when Duncan called her into his office a few days later and she saw Alistair waiting there already, Solana was rather confused.

"Do you need something?" Alistair asked.

"I was summoned," said Solana.

"Small world," said Alistair. He smiled mischievously. "Maybe we're in trouble. Been up to anything against the rules lately?"

Solana snorted. "Not recently."

"Oh? I'm actually sort of disappointed," said Alistair. "Professor Greagoir grumbles about you so much that I thought you were some kind of nefarious criminal or 'rebel without a cause' or something."

"God no. I didn't even mean to cause trouble. I just…" Solana sighed, "… listened to someone I shouldn't have and did something stupid."

"_You?_ Did something stupid? I can't even imagine that."

"Hm." Before Solana could say anything else, Duncan entered the room.

"Good, you're both here."

"What's this about, Duncan?" asked Alistair. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," said Duncan. "In fact, I'd like to congratulate you on your performance during the tournament and offer you both advanced DADA lessons outside of class."

Solana and Alistair exchanged surprised looks. "But we didn't win," said Alistair. "Why not choose someone more skilled?"

Duncan smiled. "Merlin once said that skill can be taught, but heart is inborn."

"Merlin?" asked Solana.

"Yes—I forget sometimes that you come from a Muggle family," said Duncan. "Merlin was a real person, an incredibly powerful wizard who lived several centuries ago."

"Really? I've heard witches and wizards mention him before, but I thought he was just made up," said Solana. "You know, like Jesus."

Alistair burst out laughing. "Wow! And you say you don't cause trouble! I know some nuns who would hit your mouth with a Scouring Charm if you said that to them."

"Sorry," Solana said distractedly. "So Merlin really did exist? And all the legends about him…?"

"Many have been exaggerated over the years, but there is usually a nugget of truth to every story," said Duncan. "This is why so many people have been interested in the tale of Merlin's Lost Scrolls."

"Lost Scrolls?"

"Merlin attended Hogwarts once," said Alistair. "Legends state that before he left he hid seven scrolls detailing his secret knowledge of magic somewhere at the school."

"The castle has obviously been searched several times, of course, and none of these scrolls were ever found," said Duncan. "However, interest in the legend continues to persist."

Solana felt a bright ember of curiosity—which she immediately stamped out. _Hold on there, Amell, _she told herself harshly. _Remember what happened the last time you went after some legendary artifact?_

So she resolved that, no matter what, she would have nothing to do with the Lost Scrolls.

She managed to last about a month before she burst into Duncan's office, looking quite frazzled with dark circles under her eyes and her hair wild and frizzy. Duncan's eyes widened. "Are you alright, Ms. Amell?"

"Is it against the rules for me to look for the Lost Scrolls?"

"No," said Duncan, looking surprised. "But dozens of fully-qualified witches and wizards have—"

"Are the scrolls Dark in any way?"

"Of course not," said Duncan. "Merlin was the greatest Light wizard who ever lived."

"Great. Thank you, professor," said Solana. She turned on her heel and immediately went to the library.


	3. Slytherin' Around

**Chapter Three**

**Slytherin' Around**

Solana stretched as tall as she could (which admittedly wasn't far), reaching for the copy of _Prefects Who Gained Power_ sitting just out of her grasp on a high shelf. She was about to give up and ask the librarian to summon it for her, but someone else's hand suddenly appeared, pulling the book easily from its shelf. It was Alistair.

"Thanks," Solana grumbled, taking the book and returning to her table.

"Happy to help," said Alistair. "I can also push open heavy doors, if those ever give you trouble."

"I hardly need a boy around to open doors for me," Solana said. She flipped to the book's index, scanning through the 'M's.

"Just thought I'd offer," Alistair said with a smirk. He sat down in the seat across from her. "Are you still looking for those scrolls? It's been months. Have you gone outside? Have you slept? Have you _showered?"_

"Of course I have," said Solana. "I've been to classes and everything."

"I know that. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs do have some classes together, if you hadn't noticed us," said Alistair. "I just wasn't sure you did anything else."

"I've only skipped a few meals," Solana said, waving him off. "There are plenty of references that say Merlin attended Hogwarts, but none that go into any detail about his time here. I'm terrible with history, if only J—"

Solana stopped herself, pointedly turning the book to a list of former prefects only to find that the book didn't cover anything before the eighteenth century. She sighed and slammed the book shut.

Alistair said nothing. He simply pushed a chocolate frog across the table with a hopeful expression on his face. Solana took the offered candy and immediately felt a bit better. She hadn't realized how hungry she was.

The card that came with the chocolate frog was Merlin. Of course it was. "Now he's mocking me," Solana said, glaring at the old wizard. He smirked back and stuck out his tongue.

"You're too paranoid, he isn't—" Alistair took the card. "Oh. I guess he is. That's weird."

"If I just knew which house Merlin was in, that would be something," said Solana. "But I can't find anything that—"

"Merlin was a Slytherin, in fact."

Solana and Alistair jumped. Morrigan Hemlock had appeared quite suddenly around the edge of a nearby bookshelf. She was leaning casually with her arms across her chest, as if she had been listening to them for some time.

"No he wasn't," Alistair said. "Only Dark wizards are sorted into Slytherin, and Merlin wasn't a Dark wizard."

Morrigan laughed. "How little you know."

"Was Merlin really a Slytherin?" Solana asked.

"'Tis common enough knowledge in the dungeons," said Morrigan. "I assumed that everyone knew and simply did not believe it."

"Don't listen to her," said Alistair. "She's just pulling our legs."

Morrigan sneered. "I have no interest in doing anything with your legs, Alistair, unless several curses or a bone-saw are involved."

"See?" said Alistair. "Evil. Can't trust her."

Rolling her strange, hawk-yellow eyes, Morrigan turned her attention to Solana. "So, what has inspired this sudden interest in Merlin?"

"I'm sorry, are you looking for your business? Because we're fresh out," said Alistair. "You'll have to go somewhere else for your business, I'm afraid."

"It's nothing," Solana said carefully. "Just an extra-credit assignment for Professor Duncan."

"I see," said Morrigan. "Have it your way, then."

Alistair leaned closer to Solana once Morrigan had gone. "You don't really believe her, do you?"

"It's the only lead I've gotten so far," said Solana.

"So now you know which house Merlin was in—assuming she isn't just lying," said Alistair. "How does that help you?"

Solana just smirked.

"This is a terrible idea. I've mentioned that, haven't I? I think I have…"

It was the Christmas holiday, and according to Alistair there were several other, better places they could be than the cold, damp dungeons. He had been making an extensive list of them. Yet there they were, hiding in an alcove behind a tapestry in a stonewalled corridor, shivering beneath their cloaks, and on the verge of breaking a rather important school rule.

"You're free to leave if you want," said Solana. "It is my terrible idea after all."

"No, no, I didn't say that," said Alistair. "How do you even know this is the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories, anyway? It looks like any other wall."

"Trust me, I spent a lot of time in the dungeons last year," said Solana. "This is definitely the place. Now we just need to wait until she leaves…"

"Morrigan _would_ be the only Slytherin staying over the winter holiday," Alistair grumbled.

"The fact that she's alone works out better for us," Solana reminded him. "Why do you dislike her so much, anyway?"

Alistair pouted. "She turned me into a frog last year," he said. At Solana's startled look, he added, "Or a toad or something, I don't know amphibians. And I got better."

Solana snorted. "Watch it, next time she might turn you into a newt!"

"Do you really think so?" Alistair asked anxiously. When Solana burst with laughter, his brow furrowed. "Wait… You're referencing one of your Muggle things, aren't you?"

A grinding of stone against stone interrupted Solana before she could reply. She and Alistair sat completely still, staring through the crack between the wall and the tapestry as the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories opened and Morrigan emerged. She glanced down the corridor. For a painful moment, Solana thought they may have been discovered. But Morrigan continued on her way, seemingly unaware of their presence.

"Go!" Solana hissed. She ran quickly and quietly across the corridor and slipped through the slowly closing entrance. "Come on!"

Alistair barely scraped through before the wall slid shut behind them. They took a moment to look around the common room, which had a low ceiling, rough stone walls, and greenish lanterns hanging on chains.

"Are those _skulls_ on the fireplace?"Alistair asked. "They're probably just replicas… right?"

"Now's not the time to sight-see," said Solana. "Merlin might have left some clue here when he was a student."

They spent several minutes searching through the common room, turning over tapestries and pushing furniture around. They were careful to put everything back where they found it, certain that the Slytherins would notice if anything was out of place.

The door began to open again.

Solana and Alistair exchanged wide-eyed looks before running as fast as they could down the nearest set of dormitory stairs. They darted into the first room they found. The Slytherin dorms had big windows that looked out into the lake, making the place look almost like a gothic aquarium.

"Do you think they saw us?" Alistair gasped.

"I don't know," said Solana. No one burst in to catch them for over a minute, so perhaps they had been undetected after all. "We needed to start searching the other rooms down here anyway. Do you suppose this is one of the boys' dormitories?" She sniffed the air and grimaced. "Oh, yes, it's definitely a boys' dorm."

"Hey, I resent that," said Alistair. "That's a proper manly smell. It's not our fault it offends your delicate female sensibilities."

Solana and Alistair searched the room, looking for anything and everything that may have been left by Merlin during his years at Hogwarts.

"What in this room could be that old?" Solana muttered. "The stone? The windows? The light fixtures?"

"I don't know," said Alistair. "They might have replaced everything since Merlin's day. Merlin might not have left a message here at all. Maybe we—_augh!"_

Alistair staggered back as something _hairy_ skittered behind a bedside cabinet.

"What was that?" Solana asked.

"Big bloody spider! I only caught a glimpse of it as it crawled over my foot." Alistair shuddered. "Nasty thing. Just the sort of pet a Slytherin would have."

Solana peeked behind the cabinet. She saw a large purple-legged tarantula staring back at her with glittering black eyes. "Ooh, you're a pretty one! Don't worry, no one's going to hurt you. Besides, who could crush something so beautiful?"

The spider clacked its fangs together. If Solana didn't know better, she'd almost say that it looked pleased.

"You realize you're cooing at a _spider_, right?" asked Alistair. "Just checking."

"Spiders aren't so bad, really," said Solana. "Not if you know how to handle…"

There was something strange carved into the back of the nearest bed's headboard. Solana managed to push the bed a few more inches away from the wall to get a better look at the carving. It appeared to be a row of odd symbols or—perhaps letters in another language?

"Alistair, come look at this."

"Just warning you, I'm not touching the spider."

Solana dragged him down until he was kneeling next to her. Alistair's eyes widened. "Wait, we actually found something?"


	4. Into the Woods

**Chapter Four**

**Into the Woods**

Over the next few weeks, Solana and Alistair translated the runes they found in the Slytherin dorm, but the words that they formed were in Old English, requiring yet more translation. But at last, they were able to read the message:

"_Pass three times on the seventh floor, thy need will be met through a hidden door," _said Solana. "Is there a hidden door on that floor?"

"How would we know?" asked Alistair. "It _is_ hidden, after all."

"What's on the seventh floor?" Solana mused aloud. "Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers. The astronomy tower. Headmaster Irving's office…"

"There is that long corridor that doesn't go anywhere," Alistair suggested. "I thought it was just a tapestry gallery, but it does seem odd that there's nothing else there."

"But there isn't anything hidden behind those tapestries," said Solana. "I've checked them before."

"Maybe the door doesn't appear until you do something. That must be what the 'pass three times' bit is for," said Alistair.

"Let's try it," Solana said excitedly.

Alistair nodded. "Lead on."

They went to the seventh-floor corridor lined with tapestries, and noticed that there was a conspicuously blank section of wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. "This must be the place."

Solana and Alistair paced back and forth three times in front of the blank space, but nothing happened

"Wait, the message said that '_thy need will be met through a hidden door'_," said Solana. "That must be it. We have to _need_ something for the door to appear. Think about the scrolls. We need to find the Lost Scrolls of Merlin—repeat it over and over in your mind."

They tried again, keeping their goal clear in their minds. On the third pass, a door materialized in the wall. Solana and Alistair quickly rushed inside, but there didn't appear to be any scrolls in this room. Several bookshelves lined the walls, and a large short-legged table sat in the middle of the chamber, with a big piece of parchment spread open across its surface. Placed on one corner of the table was a tea tray piled with a selection of assorted cheeses. Solana was baffled, but Alistair just laughed. "You know, I _did_ start thinking about cheese on that last pass."

"Why would you think about _cheese_ at a time like this?" Solana demanded.

Alistair considered this question while he chewed a piece of Gouda. "You say that like there's a wrong time to think about cheese."

Solana examined the parchment spread out over the table and saw that it was a map—but of where? "Hogwarts!" she realized. "This is a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area."

"No it isn't," said Alistair. "Look, the castle's all wrong. And where's the Quidditch pitch?"

"Clearly this map was made before the pitch was built. Maybe even before Quidditch was invented," Solana theorized. "And like any other building, they must have added more and more to the school over time."

Alistair traced over the map, his finger not quite touching the old parchment. "This is where Hogsmeade Village is now. So this map was made even before Hogsmeade was founded. How long ago was that?"

"Centuries. Merlin may well have drawn this map," Solana guessed.

"But we asked for Merlin's Scrolls, not Merlin's Map."

Their eyes widened with realization at the same time. "No. We asked for a way to find the scrolls," said Solana. They examined the map more closely. There, in the drawing of a tall stone tower deep within the forbidden forest, was a large ornate chest marked "X".

"Professor Duncan!" Solana exclaimed. They burst into the Defense professor's office, huffing and puffing from running all the way. "We know where Merlin's scrolls are!"

"You do?" Duncan asked.

"We found out that Merlin was a Slytherin so we went to the Slytherin dormitories, where we found a clue written in ancient runes that led us to this very strange room on the seventh floor, and inside we found a map leading to a tower in the forest—"

"And it gave me cheese," Alistair added. _"Magic_ cheese! I brought you some, sir."

Duncan blinked at him. "I'm not sure I follow you."

Solana and Alistair repeated the story, explaining more clearly how they had come across their discovery. Then they showed him the map. Duncan looked very impressed.

"I should apologize, Ms. Amell. Despite your obvious enthusiasm, I doubted your ability to find the scrolls. But you've exceeded anything I could have expected," said Duncan. "The map looks authentic. Though the only way to know for sure would be to follow it and see if it truly leads to the scrolls."

"So when are we going?" Solana asked eagerly.

Duncan chuckled warmly. "I suppose the students who made this discovery should be the first to see the scrolls. This weekend, then. But the forest is treacherous enough, and we don't know what sort of defenses this forest tower may possess. If I order you to run, or hide, you must do so, even if it seems that I'm in danger. I don't want any heroics from either of you."

Solana and Alistair nodded solemnly in agreement.

They were up bright and early on the following Saturday, dressed warmly and wearing boots. It was the end of spring and so the weather had been a bit warmer recently, but the morning chill was still biting. They met Duncan at the forest's edge and proceeded together through the trees.

The forest was dark even as the sun rose into the sky. There didn't seem to be any birds, but rustlings in the brush indicated that there were some things that did live in the forest. When it wasn't the brush itself rustling, of course. Some of the trees in the forbidden forest could walk, and thorned vines slithered like serpents across their path. Alistair nearly tripped over these vines right into the mouth of a carnivorous Ambling Bramble, but Duncan quickly caught him and put him back on his feet.

"Phew! That was a close one," said Alistair. "Thanks."

"If this map is accurate, we should be within a mile or so of the tower," said Duncan. He got out his wand and lay it flat on his palm. _"Point me!"_

The wand spun around, aiming its tip north.

"This way, to the south-west," said Duncan. "We should—"

Something suddenly leapt out of the bushes at them. It looked like a normal cat, except it had a long tufted tail like a lion. It was fawn-coloured and spattered with something red that Solana hoped wasn't blood. The cat blinked at them in surprise, clearly not expecting to stumble across them.

"Be careful," said Alistair. "That's a Kneazle. They're domestic animals, but they can be really aggressive if they decide that they don't like you."

Solana dropped into a crouch and held out her hand. The Kneazle cautiously approached, then let out a strange noise somewhere between a meow and a barkof all things before happily nuzzling Solana's fingers.

"See, everything's alright, we're not going to hurt you," Solana said gently. She petted the Kneazle's flank and felt prominent ribs and hips beneath its fur. "Oh, poor thing. You've had a horrible time, haven't you? Well, once we're done here, how about I take you back to the castle and find something for you to eat, hmm?"

The Kneazle let out another meow-bark and started rubbing itself against Solana's legs. Then it suddenly spun around and hissed at something coming from the darkness. They could see light in the shadows and hear the crunching of boots over twigs.

"Silence," Duncan said urgently. He waved his wand, causing Solana to feel a sensation oddly like an egg had been cracked over her head and was dripping slowly over her body. She saw Alistair turn transparent, as though he were made out of glass. She and the Kneazle were transparent, too. Duncan pushed Alistair until he was kneeling beside Solana. "Don't move or speak unless I say so."

A group of men in hooded black cloaks emerged from the brush some distance away. "Blasted cat!" one spat, clutching his cheek. "I'll skin him alive!"

"Quit your whining and just heal it already," said another.

"Can't, Kneazle scratches resist healing, you idiot," the first snarled. He spotted Duncan and lowered his hand, revealing several deep cuts on his face. "Hey, who are you?"

"I should ask you the same," said Duncan. "This is the property of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. How did you get past the wards?"

"What's that you've got there?" one of the men asked, gesturing at the map with his wand. _"Accio parchment!"_

The map jerked out of Duncan's hand and flew to the cloaked man, who carelessly unfurled it to read its contents. "A map? What's it for?"

"Generally, for plotting the route between one location to another," said Duncan.

"Oho, so we've got a smart one, eh? You one of the professors at Hogwarts, then? Look! It's a treasure map! It's in a chest in a tower!"

"Since you're so well-versed in maps, Professor, I guess we'll just have to take you along so you can help us find our treasure," the leader of the group said with an unpleasant smile. "We'll need someone to test any booby traps, after all."

"Duncan!" Alistair cried.

The men whirled towards them. "What was that?"

"They're Disillusioned," snapped the leader. "You lot find them! We'll continue to the tower!"

Solana leapt up and fired a Dazzling Hex to distract the cloaked men. She then grabbed Alistair and dragged him away, the Kneazle following close behind. Because of their near invisibility, most of the curses used by the cloaked men went wide, but they could not use any spells of their own without revealing their position. As it was, their pursuers could see the branches they pushed out of the way and hear their gasping breaths and running footsteps.

Things went from bad to worse when they stumbled into a small creek and became covered in mud, which made them quite visible again. They were quickly surrounded.

"Heh. Never should have left school, kiddies."

A dark shadow suddenly passed overhead. A loud roar seemed to shake the very air. Everyone looked up at the sky in horror.

"Dragon!"


	5. Voluntary & Involuntary Transformations

**Chapter Five**

**Voluntary and Involuntary Transformations**

The men screamed as a huge creature circled over the clearing, jets of fire streaming from a mouth lined with jagged teeth. Sparing only a moment to stare in amazement at the dragon flying overhead, Solana grabbed Alistair and pulled him deeper into the creek. "Get down!"

They both submerged just as a plume of fire streaked over the surface of the creek. Solana could hear screams and bellows distorted by the muddy water around her. When they could no longer hold their breaths, Solana and Alistair lifted their heads. The creek was enveloped by clouds of evaporated water. The sound of crackling fire was all that could be heard. There were no more screams.

"Do you suppose it's gone?" Alistair whispered. They slowly emerged from the steam, eyes peeled for movement.

They froze. The dragon was sitting not far away, watching them. Its hooked beak was practically curved into a smirk. They turned around to run back to the creek—but the dragon's tail slammed down, cutting off their escape. Alistair grimaced at Solana. "Well, it's been nice knowing you."

Solana drew her wand. "Run when it comes for me!"

Before she could attack, however, the dragon began to _change, _shrinking and contorting in a process that looked far more graceful than it should have, until standing in its place was an old grey-haired witch in simple, patched clothes. She looked like a completely normal old woman. Except her eyes… Not only were they hawk-yellow in color, but they were ancient and wise and strangely chilling to behold.

"Well, well," said the old woman. "What have we here?"

"She's an Animagus!" Alistair gasped. At Solana's curious look, he explained. "An Animagus is a witch or wizard who has learned how to transform into an animal. But it's incredibly difficult, and there've only been about seven or so Animagi in the past century."

"Only according to your Ministry of Magic. There was once a time when every witch worth her broom knew the transformation. How things change," said the old woman. Her voice was deep with a slight rasp, and every word seemed to carry more weight and significance than was readily apparent. "The students don't usually wander so far into my forest. What brings you here? A romantic stroll, perhaps?" She laughed.

"We were… looking for something," said Solana. "But those men kidnapped our professor and chased us through the woods."

"We need to find Duncan," said Alistair. "Who were those men anyway? And where did they go?"

"They were sent by a force beyond your comprehension. Her power is varied. In a few scattered planes, it is absolute. In all others, negligible. Ah, how she thinks herself clever," the old woman said with a smirk. "Oh, but don't mind me! These men need not concern you any longer."

"Our professor is still in danger," said Solana. "Thank you so much for saving us, but please, is there anything else you can do to help? We're only second-years…"

The woman laughed again. "If you doubt yourself this much, then you've already lost. There is so much that is uncertain about you, and yet I believe. Do I? Well, it seems I do."

Solana sighed. "Come on, Alistair. They should be at the tower by now. We have to hurry."

They went to leave, but the old woman spoke again. "Good luck. You'll need it."

Solana turned around, but the old woman was gone. In fact, she and Alistair were now standing somewhere else, deeper in the forest, in the shadow of a tall stone tower overgrown with ivy.

"Er—how did we get here?" asked Alistair.

"I'm not going to worry about it overmuch. This must be the tower," said Solana. "Let's go!"

They entered the tower and climbed a long spiral staircase to the top floor. They found five of the cloaked men, their leader, and Duncan in the chamber. Solana and Alistair hid behind a pillar.

"I've got it open!" said one of the men. He flipped open the lid on the old stone chest and gasped. Inside the chest there was an ornate mirror, a silver dagger, an old glove, a glittering jewel, a sparkling diamond, a dusty bottle, and a golden key.

"Stand aside!" the leader barked. He approached the chest, an eager, hungry look on his face. "What's this? A diamond… that will fetch a nice Knut. The goblins at Gringotts will know if this key fits one of their vaults."

He picked up the golden key with a smile that soon vanished. The hand holding onto the key was quickly transforming into gold. It continued even after he dropped the key, crawling up his arm, across his shoulder—he let out a choking noise as the transformation reached his chest, and he collapsed with a heavy _thud_. The rest of his body turned completely into gold, freezing his expression into an unsettling horrified grimace.

While the cloaked men were distracted by this disturbing sight, Duncan summoned his wand and began to duel them. _"Flipendo!" _Solana cried. One of the men was thrown into a wall and fell in a crumpled heap. Another man fired a slashing hex at them, which Alistair reflected with one of his shield charms.

The final three cloaked men were taken down one by one by Duncan, who was an incredible duelist. He smiled at Solana and Alistair. "It's good to see you are unharmed. Though I believe I ordered you to be silent and not move from your hiding place."

"To be fair," said Solana, "if we had obeyed you then they would have likely killed all three of us by now."

"What happened to him?" Alistair asked, looking down at the golden man.

"It seems that some of these objects are cursed," said Duncan. "Whoever placed them here may have seen it as a sort of poetic justice. If anyone pursuing the scrolls was motivated by greed, then the more valuable objects would have been a perfect lure."

He began casting spells to determine the curses put on the treasure. Each object was cursed with an ironic 'punishment' to match: for example, anyone who touched the silver dagger would become covered in bleeding wounds. But there seemed to be no clue to the location of the scrolls.

"It's alright," Duncan said. "It was highly unlikely that the scrolls would still be here after all these years."

"So you're after the Lost Scrolls," said the old woman from the forest, who had appeared quite silently behind them. She held out a box containing several bound scrolls. "Why did you not say so?"

Solana nearly jumped for joy. "You had them all along?"

"The protective spells Merlin left on the tower faded two centuries ago. I've been keeping them safe."

"Two centuries… that's impossible, how old are you?" asked Alistair. "And there are only six scrolls here. The legends all say that Merlin left seven scrolls."

The old woman smiled. "I look young for my age. As for the seventh scroll… The world is not ready for those secrets just yet. But you have the others. Show everyone Merlin's great forgotten wisdom."

She burst into mad laughter and disappeared once more.

* * *

Aurors were called in to deal with the cloaked men, and wizarding historians studied the scrolls over the next several days. It was ultimately decided that the scrolls were indeed written by Merlin, though it would take time for the scrolls to be fully translated.

For their part in the discovery, Solana and Alistair were both awarded the Order of Merlin, Third Class, while Duncan received an Order of Merlin, First Class—though Duncan insisted that Solana and Alistair had done most of the work, no one believed that two schoolchildren could accomplish something that had perplexed fully-trained adults for centuries. Three-hundred house points were also awarded to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff each, which, in addition to Gryffindor's win of the Quidditch Cup, meant that Solana had earned more points than anyone else in her house. She didn't really care about awards and points, however. She was just happy to have redeemed herself for the events of the previous year.

On the last day of term, Solana lounged on a window seat in a remote corridor, content to enjoy the day until it was time to go to the train.

"There you are," said Alistair. "Oh, you found that Kneazle again. I was wondering where he'd gone off to."

Solana fondly petted the Kneazle in her lap, which was now clean and well-fed and purring contentedly as it basked in the sunlight. "I've done some reading about them. Apparently they always find their way home—even if they've never been there before, it seems. I'm going to name him Dog."

"You're going to name your cat 'Dog'?"

"Why not?" Solana asked with a shrug. "I used to have a rat named Mouse."

"I suppose he's chosen you, so he's yours to name," said Alistair. "Anyway, I… wanted to thank you, I guess. Even though you almost got us killed—well, this year was pretty fun."

"What's an adventure without danger?" Solana asked with a smirk.

Alistair laughed. "About the same, I'd imagine, only with less death."

"It was only _near-_death. Let's see what we can get up to next year." They laughed and said their goodbyes. Once Alistair left and the corridor was empty again, Solana smiled. "Hello, Morrigan."

After a moment, the spider from the dungeons crawled down from its perch on the opposite wall and transformed into Morrigan Hemlock. "Well, what say you?" she demanded. "How did you figure it out?"

"I didn't until I did some research," said Solana. "All Animagi have a distinguishing mark of some kind on their animal form. You always wear purple, which is why your Animagus form has purple legs. We also met a woman in the forest who was an Animagus, and she had eyes like yours. Your mother I presume?"

"Indeed she is, unfortunately," said Morrigan. She sat down next to Solana. "You are more clever than I would have expected, so much so that I wonder why you were not sorted into Slytherin."

Solana sniffed delicately. "There's no need to start insulting people."

"So I am an Animagus. What shall you do with this information? Try to have me arrested?"

Solana's eyes widened. "What? Why would I do that?"

"To be an unregistered Animagus is an illegal offense," Morrigan said irritably. "The fools at the Ministry of Magic resent anything that would make one more difficult to control, after all."

"All magic makes us difficult to control, really," said Solana. "From what I've read, the Animagus transformation seems like a very useful ability."

Morrigan's brows lifted. "A most practical opinion. Far more so than any _wizard_ I've spoken to."

"In fact, I would be quite interested in learning to become an Animagus myself," said Solana. "I was hoping… I was actually hoping that you might teach me? Please?"

"Hmm… You may indeed have the necessary talent. This could be an interesting diversion," said Morrigan. "Very well, I shall teach you what I know."

"Thank you so much!" Solana said effusively, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I've always wanted to be able to turn into an animal."

"Do not think that this shall be easy," said Morrigan. "The transformation may take years to master, and you cannot choose your Animagus form—whatever you truly are, that is what you shall be."

"I know, I've read all about it. I don't even care if my form turns out to be something embarrassing," said Solana. She laughed. "You know, Morrigan, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

**THE END**

* * *

Join Solana, Alistair, and Morrigan for their third year of Hogwarts in **Solana Amell and the Invasion of** **Nightmares**, coming soon!


End file.
